Topical treatment of psoriasis with fludarabine.

Fludarabine is not used as a topical medication for the treatment of psoriasis. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of fludarabine for this purpose. Four male patients with two bilaterally symmetrical psoriatic plaques were treated with 0.2 percent topical fludarabine in aquaphor (fludarabine site) or aquaphor alone (control site). The fludarabine and control sites were compared before and during the study on a weekly basis for three weeks by degree of redness, scaliness, and thickness on a scale of 0 to 4 (0, not apparent; 4, very apparent). The results of our study showed no significant difference between topical fludarabine and aquaphor in the treatment of psoriatic plaques.